Zimbabwe captain was pleased as his young side held its nerve and won the second T20I against Bangladesh
“You have to allow youngsters to express themselves, and while they are doing that, they will make mistakes as well. You try to cover for them in batting and bowling, when someone is straying from the plan.”
“Wes’ innings was great. The best part was that he batted in the last few overs as well. There are a few performances that mustn’t go unnoticed.
“I thought the way young Dion Myers batted till the 12th over after going in at the fall of two early wickets, was fantastic. Ryan Burl’s power-hitting showed how valuable he is at the end of the innings. It was a turning point for us,” he said.
“Blessing got two wickets at the start. Chatara got the valuable wicket when Afif [Hossain] and Shamim [Hossain] were putting foot to the pedal. Luke also took a three-for, so I thought everybody bowled really well,” he said.
Raza is leading a side that’s without Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine and Sean Williams – three of the most experienced cricketers in the Zimbabwe set-up. Taylor has been rested while Williams and Ervine have been sidelined after coming into close contact with Covid-19 patients.
Raza said that it wasn’t difficult to motivate players at this level. “As long as I as the captain keeps a calm head and not panic, it gives me a great chance to make those vital decisions at the right time.
“You don’t need much to turn things around. Everyone is hungry to win international cricket. Despite getting so close in the previous games, we didn’t lose faith,” he said.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84